Update: Bankhead Tunnel open after five hours of clearing truck that got stuck

This photo shows the damage to a truck after it was dislodged from the Bankhead Tunnel at about 10:15 tonight. (Mark Heim/mheim@al.com)

MOBILE, Alabama - The Bankhead Tunnel is now open after crews worked for roughly five hours to remove a truck which got stuck at the Government Street entrance earlier tonight.

A truck traveling east got stuck at the entrance of the Bankhead Tunnel at roughly 6:45 p.m., shutting down traffic flow through the tunnel for hours.

Officials from the Alabama Department of Transportation declared the tunnel open at 11:45 p.m.

No injuries were reported.

Officials were able to dislodge the truck at about 10:15 p.m., according to David Johnson, the Automated Center Manager for the Alabama Department of Transportation, who was on the scene.

It took almost two more hours for crews to tow the rig out of the tunnel.

"The message board is up there, there are signs (right as you pass over Conception Street) that give the height clearance," Johnson said. "There are chains back there that tell you how high it is.

"It happens frequently. It happens a lot more than it should."

Police on the scene would not release any information on the incident, and a representative from the company that owns the truck refused comment at the scene.

(Mark Heim/mheim@al.com)

The Bankhead Tunnel has a warning system that alerts drivers of 18-wheelers that their vehicle is too big to enter.

To demonstrate the warning system late tonight, Johnson set off the sensor, which is located on Government Street between the tunnel and Conception Street. It, in turn, activated the alarm. The green lights at the entrance of the tunnel turn red, with a warning to stop on the electronic sign and a fire-alarm-like siren.